The Air Accident Investigations Unit says the pilot of a paramotor fractured both feet and one of his arms in a crash in North Clare last year.
The Unit has returned it’s final report of an investigation into the cause of the incident which occured on the 8th of June, 2019 in Bellharbour.
During an attempted take-off from an agricultural field near Bellharbour, the pilot lost directional control of the ‘TrikeBuggy Bullet’ paramotor, resulting in a collision with a dry-stone perimeter wall.
According to a report from the Air Accident Investigation Unit, the pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fractures to both feet and one arm and was taken to hospital by the emergency services.
In a post-accident interview with the AAIU, the pilot admitted he wasn’t happy with the wind prior to take-off but that he felt pressured to fly after bringing along the equipment.
The Pilot was a member of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and held a Paragliding ‘Club Pilot’ rating with ‘Power’, but that’s not valid in Ireland.
The AAIU has found that the pilots limited training and experience in operating a trike, as well as the use of the canopy’s brakes throughout the attempted take-off were among the contributory causes of the crash.
